


Steady And Normal

by SmilesRawesome



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Archie Andrews, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt Archie, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, past break up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 08:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11665362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilesRawesome/pseuds/SmilesRawesome
Summary: "Fred Andrews was shot today."Kevin froze for a moment, a hand over his face in shock."I want to go check on Archie."





	Steady And Normal

**Author's Note:**

> So, here I am again with this Riverdale stuff. Thanks to Mitch for listening to me rant about this fic for ages lmao.

Something's wrong.

  
Kevin doesn't know what yet, but something is.

  
Jughead not answering his texts? Normal. Archie forgetting to message him back? Commonplace. Betty and Ronnie accidentally ignoring him? Known to happen when they're together.

  
But all of that combined with his dad not answering?

  
Something had gone very, _very_ wrong.

  
Kevin tried not to worry too much, just did his homework, cleaned the house, started dinner. His distractions didn't work too well, but at least he got a lot done. He had always been better at coping when he was productive.

  
He had almost run out of things to do when his dad finally walked through the door at almost nine o'clock. He looked exhausted, and Kevin set about heating up his food for him, despite the man's protests.   
"Dad, please, you're tired, and I need to work out all my nervous energy. Just sit. Besides, you know I don't mind."

  
David sighed, defeated, sitting at the kitchen island and watching his son work. He tugged the boy into a hug once he'd put the plate down, relieved as Kevin gripped onto him just as tightly.   
"I'm sorry I didn't message you back, kiddo." He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I know how you worry."   
"It's okay. I know how the job is."

  
Squeezing his son tighter for just a moment, David let go of Kevin and rubbed a hand over his face.   
"Fred Andrews was shot today." He murmured. Kevin froze, a hand over his mouth in shock. Mr Andrews.... _Archie_.

  
"Is he going to be okay?" He asked softly, his hands shaking slightly.   
"He's stable, but he's in a bad way." David answered, Kevin walking away to grab his phone.

  
**To: Jug >:/ **  
Is Archie okay?

**From: Jug >:/ **  
No. But he's convinced the girls he is and my new foster parents wouldn't let me stay.

**To: Jug >:/ **  
I'm on my way over. I'll keep you posted.

**From: Jug >:/ **  
Don't worry about me, just... Look after him.

**To: Jug >:/ **  
I'll do everything I can.

**From: Jug >:/**   
Thank you, Kevin.

  
Kevin bit his lip, looking up at his dad.   
"I want to check on Archie." He said, relaxing slightly as David nodded.   
"Yeah, go. I won't expect you back tonight." He answered. Kevin smiled softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek before rushing off to find his keys and wallet.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Kevin pulled up out the front of Archie's house, picking up the bag of Chinese takeout from the front seat and heading for the house. He figured the other boy wouldn't have eaten much, and that this would be easy to convince him to eat.

  
The stairs creaked as he walked up them, as they always did, and he was lifting his hand to knock on the door when it swung open.   
" _Archie_!" He yelped, taking a step back. Getting over the shock, the sight in front of him broke his heart. Archie was terrified, and angry, holding a bat over his head ready to club whoever was there.

  
After a moment, Archie blinked, drawing in a breath and lowering the bat just slightly.   
"Kevin?" He asked, confusion in his voice and his eyes.   
"Yeah, it's just me, Arch." Kevin answered softly. Another blink, and Archie's eyes had cleared. He placed the bat down, his face stricken.   
"I'm- I'm so-"

  
"Hey," Kevin interrupted, trying to keep his voice soothing. "It's alright, really. Anyone would be stressed out in your place." He assured, reaching a hand out but pausing, not sure if Archie would be open to the touch. At the aborted movement, Archie shook his head and stepped back, gesturing for Kevin to come in.

  
"So, what brings you around?" Archie asked, his voice steady and normal as if he hadn't just been waving a bat around.   
"Don't. Don't do that. You can fool the girls, but you can't fool me. Or Jughead, for that matter." Kevin said, frowning as he lifted up the bag he was holding. "I bought food. I doubt you ate."

  
Archie smiled, running a hand through his hair.   
"You didn't have to do that, Kev. I'm-"   
"I swear to god if you say you're fine I'm going to tell the girls how to tell when you're lying." The brunette snapped, his frown turning to a glare. Archie swallowed and nodded, letting his facade drop. His shoulders hunched in, his face going pale, exhaustion settling over his expression like a blanket.

  
"I-"   
"Don't apologise either. It's alright. We're not as close as we used to be, I get it. Just come eat, okay? We can put some Star Trek on if you want." Kevin offered up a small smile, shaking the bag a smidge as if that might help the red head decide. Archie bit his lip, glancing from Kevin, the living room, and the bat for a few moments until Kevin had to step in again.   
"Lock the doors and take the bat with you."

  
Archie nodded, meekly doing as he was told and following Kevin into the living room. Seeing Archie like this broke Kevin's heart. He'd seen the other hurting before, but never like this. He set up the DVD player with one of the red head's favourite _Next Gen_ episodes, walking back to guide Archie into sitting on the couch.

  
"Think I can convince you to eat?" Kevin asked, holding up a container and a plastic fork. Archie shook his head, so Kevin held it closer to him, shaking it slightly.   
"It's your favourite." He sing-songed, watching the red head frown just slightly in thought.   
"My favourite?"   
"Sweet and sour pork." Kevin confirmed, feeling relief flow through him as Archie took the box and started reluctantly stabbing at the food.

  
Archie kept getting distracted from the show, frequently turning his head to check the door and ignoring _Data's Day_. When that happened, Kevin gave him enough time to see nothing was there, then gently nudged his shoulder and reminded him to eat. After this happened for maybe the fifteenth time, Archie sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.   
"Sorry, Kev. Star Trek doesn't seem to be working today."

  
"It's alright." Kevin assured, turning the TV off and putting a hand on Archie's arm. "Maybe there's something el- _oof_!" He suddenly found himself pressed against Archie's chest, strong arms wrapped around his back and gripping onto his sweater (though a bit awkwardly with the cast). Taken by surprise, it took him a few moments before he started moving to hold the other back, but Archie was already pushing him away, arms now wrapped around his own chest.   
"Sorry- sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean- I know-"

  
Kevin just slid across the couch and pulled Archie in, letting Archie collapse against him and wrap his arms around his middle again. Archie wasn't crying, he was just shaking, trembling in Kevin's arms as he tried to process the last few days.

  
"Kev- Kev I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about it, Kev. Please, please, I-." Archie sucked in a breath, now more on the verge of tears than ever. Kevin shushed him quietly, running gentle fingers through bright red hair.   
"I'm sorry, Archie."   
"Kevi-"   
"I'm not talking about sympathy for the last few days. This is an apology I should have made months ago but didn't."

  
Archie swallowed, taking another shaky breath.   
"This is about the thing Veronica told us." He murmured quietly. Almost a question, but Archie was smart. People didn't give him enough credit. Kevin hadn't given him enough credit. Archie sighed, relaxing slightly and moving his hands from Kevin's back to his waist.

  
"You don't have to apologise for that, pal."  
"No, Archie, I do-"   
"It's not like I've done anything but prove you right since then."   
"Archie, honey, no. Archie, Archie look at me." Kevin cupped the others cheek, tilting his head up and feeling his heart ache at the expression he found on Archie's face, wounded and sad. "I was wrong about you. I was so wrong about you, and I've never been more happy to be wrong. You're incredible, and maybe you've made a few mistakes but who the hell hasn't. I've made mistakes, I made a mistake when I said those things to you, I made a mistake when I let my own feelings stop me from apologising to you. God, you deserve so much better than that Archie. I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry."

  
A few tears spilled down Archie's face, but Kevin didn't wipe them away despite how easy it would be, how much he wanted to. He knew Archie didn't like that.   
"Look just- just because Veronica told us- us about this thing she is, that doesn't mean that I'm... I'm like that." Archie stuttered, then sighed, closing his eyes.   
"Yeah, no, I'm lying to both of us right now."

  
He let out a small, humourless laugh, leaning into Kevin again. They were both quiet for several minutes, Kevin not knowing what to say anymore, Archie simply thinking.   
"I've missed this." Archie whispered, squeezing Kevin slightly tighter for a moment. Kevin smiled softly, pressing his lips to the top of Archie's head. Not a kiss, but not strictly a friendly touch.   
"Yeah, me too. But you were much smaller last time we did this. I can hardly get my arms around you now." Kevin smiled as Archie laughed, the red head's arms snaking more fully around him again.

  
"So much has happened, Kev. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want to let anyone down." Archie sighed, hands gripping at the brunette's sweater again. Kevin ran his hands through his hair, his other hand rubbing his back.

  
"You're not going to let anybody down, Archie. You're allowed to be upset, you're allowed to be angry, and sad, and terrified, and whatever the hell else you're feeling, you're allowed to feel that way. You're allowed to show people you feel that way. I know you think you have to fit into some little box, this... musical jock boy, but you don't. If anyone has a problem with you being emotional about all this shit that's happened to you? _Fuck. Them._ People like that don't give a shit about you and you don't need to bother with them. You have so many people who care about you. Your parents, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and... and you've got me too, Arch. People love you, and yeah, we want to see you happy, but we know you can't always be, and if you need to fall apart, we'll be right there to put you back together. No matter what." Kevin let out a breath as he finished, freezing as he felt Archie tense under him.

  
Then Archie finally burst into tears, sobbing into Kevin's shoulder, gripping onto him tightly. Archie couldn't even remember the last time he'd cried like this, so openly with every part of his being. He was crying out months, years, of pent up emotions he'd been hiding from others, pushing down in hopes of remaining what everyone always thought he was. Riverdale's Golden Boy, Perpetually Happy and Occasionally Clumsy Archie Andrews.

  
Kevin did his best to soothe him while he cried, making comforting noises and holding him close. There wasn't much else he could do at the moment, but he knew sometimes just having another person was there helped.

  
Kevin could be the person Archie needed.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Archie eventually stopped crying, leaving a heart broken, terrified version of himself exposed. Kevin wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, leaving with the promise of tea to give the red head a moment to collect himself. He appreciated it, wiping his face with the sleeves of his cardigan and leaning back against the couch, trying to make himself take deep breaths.

  
A strong, heavenly scent was soon noticeable, and Archie lifted his head to see Kevin coming over with a cup.   
"Where did you get that?" He asked, his voice thankful if croaky. Kevin just smiled softly, shrugging.   
"I know it's your favourite, and that you guys have been running a bit tight. We had some at home so I grabbed a bunch and shoved them in my pockets. I've got latte packets for the morning too." He answered simply, sitting down and wrapping an arm around the others shoulders.

  
Archie smiled, it wasn't anything like his usual smile that would light up a whole room, but it was real and thankful.   
"Thank you, Kevin. For- for everything." He murmured quietly, looking at his cup rather than at the brunette. Kevin squeezed the red head briefly, knowing he was leaning more towards the apology than food and tea.   
"Well, just because I didn't know about being bi until Ronnie showed up, doesn't mean I should be excused for the things I said to you back when we broke up." He replied, knowing Archie wouldn't address it straight on, but one of them had to.

  
As Kevin thought, Archie frowned intently at his cup, uncomfortable with dealing things head on.   
"Don't worry," Kevin assured, leaning up and pressing a kiss to the others forehead. "That's all we're going to deal with right now. You just drink your chai tea and relax."   
"Can we put Star Trek back on?"   
"Of course, something Data-centric, right?"   
"Yeah."

  
Finishing his tea, Archie was quick to fall asleep on Kevin's lap, the brunette relaxing enough to sleep soon after. It was the first full night Archie had slept in months.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Kevin looked up from the stove as he heard the jingle of keys in the door, smiling softly. Archie had been staying with the Kellers for the past few weeks, with David letting both of them stay at the Andrews house over weekends. Things had been hard on Archie, but he was slowly opening up to him and Jughead, and even the girls to a smaller extent.

  
"Hey Arch, did they say anything at the- oh." Kevin wasn't expecting the armful of Archie he was suddenly landed with, but as Jughead walked around to keep an eye on the food, he returned it easily.   
"Hey pal, what's going on?" He asked softly, surprised by the laughter coming from the red head.   
" _He woke up_. He woke up and had a conversation and fell asleep and he's gonna be okay, Kev. He said to say thanks for looking after me." Archie whispered, making Kevin grin and hold on tighter.

  
"Oh honey, that's so great! I'm so relieved!" The brunette answered, squeezing Archie's arms as the red head pulled back. Archie was grinning, his cheeks were flushed, his shoulders were straight, and even with his hair a mess and his watery red eyes, it was the best Archie had looked in weeks.   
"Juggie's staying for the weekend too, _with permission_." Archie added, a tiny version of his old spark appearing back in his eyes.   
"Well, good thing I always make extra pasta." Kevin smiled, laughing softly as the others mouth dropped open.

  
"No way, I love pasta!" Archie gasped softly, heading into the kitchen with his arm looped around Kevin's shoulders. Jughead snorted while Kevin laughed harder, leaning into Archie to keep himself up.   
"That's probably why he made pasta, buddy." Jughead deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. Archie just grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.   
"Don't worry about it, kiddo. It's been a long day." Kevin smiled, gently pushing the red head towards the island to sit down.

  
"Yeah." Archie sighed, resting his head in his hand as he watched two of his best friends move around the kitchen, Kevin finishing dinner and Jughead making coffee. He owed these two a lot, he'd find a way to pay them back someday, but for now, he just let himself enjoy the time he had with them both.

  
He doubted his life would ever feel _normal_ again, but things were settling into a new version of normalcy that Archie was pretty happy with.

  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  
Archie turned away from _Voyager_ , where EMH and Seven were practising their social skills, tugging Kevin closer and sliding a hand into his. The brunette turned up to look at him for a moment, before smiling softly and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Archie grinned in return, squeezing their hands and blushing lightly.

  
Things were probably going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes are my own (no betas we die like men), so if you see any feel free to point them out.   
> Kudos and comments help Fred recover faster!!!!!!!!


End file.
